The invention described herein generally relates to devices and systems for housing, supporting, deploying and storing strings of lights. Over the years, there have been many patents issued for various features of inventions pertaining to lighting systems, especially those used for decorative or ornamental purposes. Examples of some features include: longitudinal flexibility or rigidity; open or openable systems versus enclosed or encapsulated systems; lighting support versus decoration; and configuration of light(s). A search of patents has revealed that inventors have recognized various problems concerning the above-identified features, and have proposed various devices or systems to overcome at least some aspects thereof.
The invention described herein primarily deals with problems associated with the difficulties associated with deploying or storing lighting, especially strings of "Christmas lights" commonly deployed outdoors. Such problems include those associated with having deployment mechanisms that are sufficiently rigid and supportive to allow deployment without numerous attachments to the mounting structure, or without unwanted draping and tangling of the light string. Other problems include those associated with providing a rigid or semi-rigid deployment system having sufficient longitudinal flexibility to allow cornering when desired. The invention described herein is also directed to problems associated with storing such light systems; such problems include those associated with providing a deployment mechanism that allows quick and easy removal of the lights from the mounting structure, in a manner preventing tangling of the light string and facilitating compaction of the string into subunits of the desired length. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,344 issued to Kotsakis on Nov. 21, 1995.
Other patents have been directed at problems associated with the maintenance of the light string, such as providing access to replace light bulbs situated (at least partly) within the invention. Patents which arguably address these concerns include the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) Date ______________________________________ 4,885,664 Hermanson 12-5-89 3,404,268 Fowler 12-23-68 5,410,458 Bell 4-25-95 ______________________________________
Other patents have been directed to providing longitudinal lighting systems that can assume a variety of configurations. Many of these are for systems that are segmented or modular, and usually closed systems. Patents which arguably address these concerns include:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) Date ______________________________________ 5,057,981 Bowen et al. 10-15-91 4,581,687 Nakanishi 4-8-86 4,521,839 Cook et al. 6-4-85 ______________________________________
Other patents of general interest to the examiner might include the following:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) Date ______________________________________ 4,107,767 Anquetin 8-15-78 4,271,458 George 6-2-81 ______________________________________
A study of known patents indicates that, while inventors have provided specific devices or systems which solve some aspects of the problems associated with the housing, support, deployment and storing of lighting systems, no solutions have been discovered that address all of such problems. The patents known in the art lack one or more essential features of the invention disclosed herein.